MS Dhoni still unfit; Virat Kohli to lead in Adelaide

Virat Kohli

Stand-in skipper Virat Kohli has made it clear that he will be leading India in the first Test against Australia, starting Tuesday.

Speaking to the media on Monday, the 26-year-old confirmed himself as captain, ruling out the possibilities of Mahendra Singh Dhoni returning to action.

Dhoni is still not 100% fit to take the field, recovering from a hand injury. Speaking on the same, Kohli said having the experienced cricketer on the bench contributes to the team.

"MS coming in is always a help for the younger guys on the team and his input is so important to the team," he told reporters in Adelaide.

The batsman said he will be completely utilizing Dhoni behind his decision making processes as well as getting feedback.

"Just discussing plans with him, taking a few tips as to what we are thinking of doing and what he feels about them, because he's been there, done that, seen possibly every situation in cricket.

"It's always great to bounce things off him and get the feedback and utilize what you can. That's been great."

Dhoni needs more time to recover

Kohli informed that the 33-year-old still needs another 3-4 days to attain match fitness.

"We're expecting him to be at 100 per cent fitness in the next few days," the youngster said.

"Obviously we want him to be at 100 per cent fitness before he plays a game. And secondly, the kind of preparation he wants in Australia, I think it's too short a span for him to go into a Test match without having enough practice here on a personal level," the Delhi-lad added.

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